Philips Healthcare

Engineering

The inside of this device is simple: mostly air with a few mechanical parts. But these mechanical parts are actuated by the user’s breath, so the degree to which they perform consistently, sometimes with very little inertia, is critical to indicating an accurate readout each and every time, in any environment, for every user.

Industrial Design

Despite the internal volume being mostly empty, there were critical air-flow channels that could not be obscured, leaving limited room inside for an integrated protective case. Anything coming into repeated contact with the user’s mouth needs protection, and a series of simple, minimal, integrated cases were explored, several doubling as an ergonomic handle.

Rapid Prototyping

A series of models were fabricated, each exploring subtly different details in design language, vent patterns, interface, and ergonomic features. The models were critical in eliciting detailed user feedback, which led the design team towards refining the selected concept to provide only the most useful features for this simple device.

Production

Humanfactors was tasked with elevating the Personal Best from a well-functioning but dated medical product into a better-functioning, great looking lifestyle medical device. The results exceeded expectations—the interface became more intuitive and easier to adjust, flow-rate scales got easier to read and understand for a broader range of users, and a sleek, innovative protective case doubled as a secure, comfortable handle.